Guidelines
by Sunshinecackle
Summary: Maurice had never been on a date in his life. The Nun, Father Burke/Frenchie


**Title:** Guidelines  
**Author:** Donnie  
**Fandom:** The Nun  
**Setting:** Father Burke's Office, French Cafe  
**Pairing:** Father Anthony Burke/Maurice "Frenchie" Theriault  
**Characters:** Father Anthony Burke, Maurice "Frenchie" Theriault, Valak  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Rating:** T  
**Chapters:** 1/1  
**Word Count:** 2290  
**Type of Work:** One-Shot, Part of the Sins of the Father Series  
**Status:** Complete  
**Warnings:** Gay, Slash, Yaoi, MLM, First Date, ABO Dynamics, Mating (Mentioned), Fluff  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.  
**Summary:** Maurice had never been on a date in his life.

**AN:** So, this is a request from my Tumblr, Writteninsunshine! I really wanted to write more with these two, I hope I'm not being too obnoxious with it. For this AU, Valak is written how he's supposed to be in demonic lore, not so much like the movie version. He is Maurice's roommate, and encouraged him to seduce the priest for the sinning of it but is supportive of his decisions with Father Burke. Anyway, here we go!

**Guidelines******

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"I didn't think that priests could mate. Isn't it a rule or something?" Maurice asked, sitting back on the leather couch on the right of Father Burke's office. The man in question tented his hands, elbows on his oakwood desk and rested his lips against them, considering the question for a moment before deciding on a reply.

"We think of it more as a guideline of what _not_ to do, sure. But I am a… Special case. I have done a lot of hard work for the church and provided I give them a child that will take my place eventually, I am allowed a single mate and marriage while ordained." The explanation didn't seem to sit well with the younger man, who tilted his head back against the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling.

"So… You can mate _one_ person," Maurice held up a single finger, "And you want to choose _me_?" The Omega was clearly not impressed, unsure if the Father knew what he was getting into.

"You smell right. Sometimes an Alpha just knows that an Omega is perfect for them." Father Burke told him simply, shrugging slightly as he finally pushed his chair back and stood up. Crossing the room, he sat beside the other on the couch, "You already expressed interest. Why are you resisting?"

"Mostly because I don't think you know me well enough to be interested back." Maurice replied, "Mating is… Forever."

"It is. And I'm willing to take that bet."

"Isn't betting against the Church, Father?" Maurice chuckled, looking over at him with only his eyes, "I'm fairly sure I'll ruin you." Not to mention he was roommates and best friends with an _actual_ demon.

"As I said, it's more of a guideline. And I am willing to do this for you. I have enjoyed our time together, and I know that you will be good to me. I want to be good to you, too." Carefully turning to face him, Anthony reached up to take his cheek in one hand, pulling him closer to offer a gentle, innocent kiss on the lips. "I would like it if you would say 'yes', but I will let you think if you need to."

Maurice was quiet for a moment, seeking the other's lips back out, working them together in slow circles. He couldn't deny that it was a tempting thought, but his past made him wary.

"And you are sure you want _me_?"

"As you have said in the past, I have never felt this way for anyone else. I want to see where it goes."

"...And if I wanted to date first? Make sure it works?"

"Then we will date. I could take you out for lunch sometime soon." Anthony smiled sweetly, giving the other another well-deserved kiss. "What do you say?"

"...Oui. We should try it." He nodded, nuzzling their noses together. "It sounds like something we should do." Plus, Valak was on board with it, surprisingly. Even if he didn't know _who_ "his priest" was. "When do you want to go out?"

"I'm free today if you are?" Anthony chuckled, kissing him again softly before pulling back, watching Maurice chase his lips hungrily.

"I… Yes. I am free." Maurice blushed slightly, sitting back in his seat again before turning to face him fully. "Where do you want to go?"

"There is a French cafe down the block that we could try?" Anthony offered, petting his thumb over the other's stubbled cheek gently, "I'll buy."

"You don't have-"

"Let me. Please, Precioso." Maurice's cheeks bloomed rose and he simply nodded, leaving Anthony with a pleased grin on his face. It looked good on him, even if he didn't do it as often as Maurice would have liked. "Let me get my things together."

Maurice watched the half-blind man putter about his office, gathering his coat and wallet before holding out his arm. Getting up, he took it with a small, secretive smile and they left the office with a 'be back in an hour' sign on the door.

The walk to the cafe was quiet and companionable, and Maurice rested his head against the other's shoulder. It felt good to be in the chilly New York air, despite himself, and Maurice hummed a little as they approached their destination. The door dinged as they opened it, and Maurice was surprised by how nice the place looked. Dim lighting, dark walls with red and gold accents, and a small string quartet playing in the corner near a fountain. Father Burke really was pulling out all the stops for their first date.

Once they were seated at a little two-person table with a beautiful red tablecloth and a single red rose in the center with a red candle, Maurice seemed stiff. Nobody had ever pulled his chair out for him and scooted him in before.

"Is there something wrong, L'Amour?" Anthony asked softly, reaching over to take one of the hands placed awkwardly on the table.

"I just haven't been to a place this nice." Maurice told him, and Anthony expected an 'in a while', but it never came.

"I wanted to treat you," Anthony replied easily, smiling. "It's okay."

The waiter came to take their drink orders, and Father Burke ordered a bottle of red wine, while Frenchie asked for water. 'Two glasses' left him before their waiter could leave, and Maurice looked at him pensively.

"Trying to get me drunk, Father?"

"No, simply wanting to share something I enjoy with you." Anthony laughed softly, a deep rumble in his chest that had Maurice smiling with him.

"Okay, Father." He nodded, shaking his head. "What do you want to eat?"

"What would you suggest?" Anthony asked, head tipping as he looked at the menu, "And don't be afraid to order what you like. I don't mind the price."

"If you like wine, Father, I'd suggest the _coq au vin_. I think you would like it." He looked through the other menu items before smiling slightly, "I think I want the _boeuf bourguignon_. I haven't had it in years, and I don't cook very well."

"Sounds good to me." Though Anthony didn't really know what those things were, he quickly read up on the menu. _Coq au vin_ was chicken, marinated in wine and brandy with vegetables, and _boeuf bourguignon_ was similar, a beef stew type thing. Both sounded hearty and filling, and he could already feel his mouth watering.

"My mom used to make boeuf bourguignon," Maurice offered off-handedly, setting his menu aside and giving a smile tinged with sadness, "I haven't had it since she died."

"Well," Anthony took his hand again, brushing his thumb over his knuckles as if he could soothe the pain away that way, "I could learn to make it for you. I'm fairly decent at cooking."

Blinking a couple of times in rapid succession, Maurice felt his cheeks heating up again.

"You would do that for me?"

"An Alpha must provide." Was the simple answer as the waiter came back with a bucket of ice with their wine in it. He uncorked it and poured them each a shallow glass before taking their orders and heading off with them. "I would learn to cook whatever you like, provided I can find the ingredients."

"...you're possibly the nicest Alpha I have ever met." Definitely the first older Alpha to take him on an actual _date_. Most of the time, older men just wanted one thing and one thing only.

"Well, I follow what the Lord said to do, which is to be kind to others. And I want to provide for you, I want to take care of you. I care for all of God's creations, but you are a special one, and it is a treat to be able to have the chance to love you."

Every inch of Maurice was screaming that this was a setup, but he did his best to calm down before he started to panic. Taking a sip of his wine, he turned back to the other and smiled slightly.

"I'm glad you want to. I'm just… Hesitant."

"Because of your past." The confessional booth the first night they met told him a lot about Maurice, but nowhere near what the younger man was going through. Still, he was a patient man, and willing to take whatever steps he had to to prove that he could be trusted with Maurice's heart.

"...Oui." Maurice muttered, "I think this is the first date I've ever been on." He was used to hooking up with Alphas and Omegas, male and female alike. He didn't know what to do on a date, but he hoped he wasn't messing it up too much.

"I hope it is treating you well, then." Anthony offered softly, barely heard above the cello playing in the background. "I would like to take you out more."

"Really? Don't you have things to attend to?"

"You are as important to me as the church is, and I guarantee you that." The other's scent clicked with his own so well, and he was going to enjoy his time while he had it. He wasn't getting any younger, and at fifty-seven, he was starting to think he'd never mate. Maurice had come across him by the grace of God and he wasn't going to let it go.

"Uh, thanks, Father. I'm glad you think I'm special." Because hardly anyone else did. Maybe Valak, because they were best friends, but most people didn't see the diamond for all the mud.

When their food arrived, Frenchie was ready to dig in, but Father Burke held up his hand.

"Just a moment, Precioso. We should say Grace." Maurice simply nodded, hands folded in his lap in a second's notice. "Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen." He finished the prayer with the sign of the cross, and Frenchie rushed to copy him, muttering an 'amen' of his own. With a nod, Father Burke acquiesced to him eating, and he unwrapped his silverware to shovel the first bite into his mouth. The little moan that that earned had Anthony heating up under his collar, but he was glad at least that Maurice was enjoying his food.

For a while, they ate in silence, enjoying the good food and even better wine that they shared. Maurice didn't seem to mind, scraping his bowl clean and all but preparing to lick it for good measure. He thought better of it at the last second, finishing off his bread with as much of the leftover soup as he could and sitting back to pat his belly.

"That hit the spot." He offered, smiling at the older man as he finished up his own meal, pausing for a second before speaking, "Do we pray after, too?"

"Yes." God, if he had to sit through another prayer this restaurant would reek. Maurice couldn't believe how much it got him going when Father Burke prayed. It must have been a sin against God. "We give Thee thanks, Almighty God, for all thy benefits, Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen."

"Amen." Maurice echoed, blushing again at how heated he was becoming. Anthony finished off his second glass of wine and gently placed his napkin back on the table.

"Are you ready to go, or would you like dessert?"

"We can get dessert?" When his father had taken him to dinner, the few times it had happened, they never got dessert. When Anthony nodded, he grinned, "Let's split something." That was something that happened on dates, right?

"We can split something. There was a chocolate cheesecake slice on the menu, does that sound good?" One could never go wrong with chocolate.

"Oui!" That sounded so good, he couldn't pass it up. When the waiter swung by to ask about dessert, Father Burke ordered their cheesecake, asking for a single spoon with it. It arrived in a timely manner, and he sliced the tip off before leaning forward, hand beneath the spoonful to catch crumbs. Never having been fed in his adult life, Maurice's cheeks heated again as he scooted in to take the bite. Holding out the spoon to him after it was finished, Anthony delighted when he took it and copied the action to feed him in return.

Their dessert was quick to disappear like that, the pair taking turns feeding each other and basking in each other's company. Maurice couldn't help but think that he could get used to this, even if he was unsure if Anthony would want to keep treating him this well. There had to be a catch, even if there was none in sight.

Once the check was taken care of, which Anthony had hidden from Maurice, he rose and stepped to the younger's side to help him up. His scent was rich with happiness, and Maurice took his hand and rose to leave with him. The pair walked back to the church in relative silence, pressed close enough to squeeze the air from between them. At the church steps, Maurice paused.

"I think I need to head home." He offered, "But I had a great time."

"As did I. I look forward to our next meeting." Anthony smiled, leaning in to kiss the French-Canadian's forehead. "Call me whenever you like, or feel free to talk to me at church."

"Yes, Father." Maurice grinned, cheeks aflame again as he hugged him quickly before shuffling off towards his apartment. He had a lot to tell Valak about.

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**AN:** That turned out a lot longer than I thought it would, but I had a lot of fun writing it. I really love these two a lot, and I expect I'll be writing for them often. I hope you enjoyed it!

Prompt: "We think of it more as of a guideline of what not to do."


End file.
